IPSA's 75th Anniversary Conference Starts on 11 September in Lisbon

To mark its 75th anniversary in 2024, IPSA will hold an international conference with support from the Gulbenkian Foundation and in partnership with the Portuguese Political Science Association (APCP) on the theme Democratization and Autocratization. This event takes place in Lisbon from 11-13 September 2024. The three-day conference holds particular significance, as it coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, which Samuel Huntington identified as the starting point of the “third wave” of democratization.

If you want to take part in this international gathering, you can still register as an audience member. IPSA and APCP members benefit from a reduced registration fee. IPSA student members from Country Group C and Group D can register FREE OF CHARGE.

Conference Program

This three-day event will see over 500 scholars from 74 countries gather to discuss a broad range of topics related to democratization and autocratization in 79 panel discussions. Panel topics will include the challenges of democratization and the rise of autocratic regimes, the impact of populism on democratic backsliding, the role of civil-military relations in political transitions, and the influence of digital technologies on authoritarian practices. Additionally, participants will explore issues such as the political economy of regime change, the role of political elites in both democratic and autocratic contexts, and the implications of globalization for democratic governance. 

Keynote Address by Adam Przeworski

Adam Przeworski, the Carroll and Milton Emeritus Professor of Politics and Economics at New York University, will address conference delegates on 11 September with his keynote presentation titled Studying Democracy. In his keynote address, Prof. Przeworski will explore how our understanding of democracy has evolved in response to real-world challenges, particularly in the post-Cold War era where rival ideologies have faded, while conflicts over values and interests within democracies have intensified. 

Six Roundtable Discussions

The conference will also feature the following six roundtable discussions, exploring contemporary issues in political science. 

LOC Roundtable: Lusophone African Democracies, 50 Years After Portugal's Democratic Transition
11 September 2024 | 09:45 - 11:15 | Auditorium 2 

Chair
Paula Duarte Lopes, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal

Speakers

• Teresa Almeida Cravo, CES, FEUC, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
• Tiago Soares, Universidade de Coimbra, Guinea-Bissau
• Vasco Martins, Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra (CES), Portugal
• Mário Gonçalves, CES, FEUC- Universidade de Coimbra, Cape Verde, Portugal

Autocratization Studies in the XXI Century: Taking Stock, Looking Ahead
11 September 2024 | 11:30 - 13:00 | Auditorium 2 

Chair
Luca Tomini, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium

Co-Chair
Aurel Croissant, University of Heidelberg, Germany

Discussant
Yuko Kasuya, IPSA President-Elect, Keio University, Japan

Speakers

• Julia Leininger, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), Germany
• Janjira Sombatpoonsiri, Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) / GIGA, Germany
• Murat Somer, Ozyegin University, Türkiye
• Andreas Schedler, Central European University, Austria

IPSA Past-Presidents Roundtable: Reflections on Leadership and IPSA at 75 Years
12 September 2024 | 09:00 - 10:30 | Auditorium 2 

Speakers

• Helen Milner, Princeton University, United States
• Lourdes Sola, University of São Paulo, Brazil
• Dianne Pinderhughes, University of Notre Dame, United States

LOC Roundtable: Portraits of Regime Changers in Portugal's Carnation Revolution
12 September 2024 | 10:45 - 12:15 | Auditorium 3 

Chair
Carlos Gaspar,Portuguese Institute of International Relations, Portugal

Speakers

• Maria Inácia Rezola, School for Media and Communication, LIACOM, Portugal
• José Pacheco Pereira, Former MEP, Portugal
• David Castaño, NOVA University, FCSH, Portugal

LOC/FLAD Roundtable: Revisiting Juan Linz's Theories of Regimes
12 September 2024 | 15:00 - 16:30 | Auditorium 3

Chair
António Costa Pinto, Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon

Speaker(s)

• Jennifer McCoy, Georgia State University, United States
• Andreas Schedler, Central European University, Austria
• Giovanni Capoccia, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
• Mark Thompson, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R

IPSA Roundtable: Conversation on the Impact of Political Science in Society: Could we do Better?
13 September 2024 | 09:00 - 10:30 | Auditorium 2 

Chair
Pablo Oñate, IPSA President, University of Valencia, Spain

Speakers

• John Ishiyama, University of North Texas, United States
• Hasret Dikici Bilgin, Istanbul Bilgi University, Türkiye

For further information and to register, please visit the conference page on the IPSA website.